The present invention is directed toward a flange and more particularly, toward a flange which may be used to correct the size of a hole, such as for a water pipe, found on the outside of a building.
The common practice in the plumbing industry for running pipes or lines through a wall of a structure is to drill a hole in the wall during fabrication of the structure and then to run the line or pipe through the hole and to the outside of the building. A hose bib or sill cock 232 is then attached to the pipe outside of the building and acts as a faucet. (see FIG. 1.) Hose bibs or sill cocks typically include a faucet-like member 233 attached to a base 234 having notches 236 and 238 located on opposite sides of the base 234. The base may be in various forms such as generally circular or diamond-shaped. The hose bib 232 is attached to the pipe 228 and is secured to the outside wall 230 of the building via screws 244 and 246 which are screwed through the notches 236 and 238 and to the wall 230. A problem which frequently occurs with this practice, however, is that the pre-formed hole is too large so that the hose bib or sill cock cannot be secured to the wall. That is, there isn""t anything to which the screws may attach. (See FIG. 2.) Currently, a quick and inexpensive solution to this problem is lacking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,708 to MacLeod et al. discloses a wall mounting assembly for use with siding. The assembly includes a large back plate which provides a means for securing various other devices to the outside of a building. For example, the device may be use for passage of a water pipe or the like to the exterior of the building. However, this patent does not provide for correcting the size of a pre-formed hole.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a flange which corrects the size of a hole in the wall of a building.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a versatile and simple device for correcting the size of a hole.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device mounted to the outside wall of a building in order to help secure a hose bib or sill cock thereto.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a flat, essentially diamond-shaped plate with a plurality of holes located therein. A hole larger than the other holes is located in the center the plate. A hose bib having a base with notches located on opposite sides of the base is mounted to the plate so as to align the hose bib with the central hole. Each of the notches of the base is aligned with a hole located on either side of the central hole. Screws are then inserted into the notches and their respective holes, thereby securing the hose bib to the plate. The plate is then secured to the wall.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.